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Show 8 Monday, March 29, 2010 %r 1 HE SIGNPOST Pesticide Caffeine continued continued from page 4 heart rate had raced to 117. After an array of tests, her heart rate eventually slowed and they released her from the hospital, not knowing what had brought on the episode, but assuming it was due to dehydration. Dominguez attended a PTA meeting a few days later where parents were talking about pesticides drifting onto playground equipment. She contacted the Department of Agriculture and they sent investigators who tested her daughter's gym clothes and found several orchard-grade pesticides. They went to the track field and found traces of these same pesticides (endosulfan, a DDT-like pesticide banned in many countries). Investigators determined that Anne Dominguez had most likely been poisoned after absorbing pesticides. •"I was relieved to finally get an answer," Dominguez said. "Knowing what had happened, I felt better able to protect my family. Spring came and I educated my kids, warning them to stay indoors during spraying season." Pesticides aren't only a concern for those who live in rural or farming communities. The threat travels into urban areas through food purchased at grocery stores. A recent study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration showed two-thirds of domestic and imported produce contained no pesticide residue. However, the study did not mention the other third of produce containing traces of pesticides. According to findings from 87,000 government tests, the Environmental Working Group dubbed 12 vegetables the "dirty dozen." These are the fruits and vegetables most likely to contain pesticides. "Some fruits and vegetables can have • nine different pesticides in a single serving," said Jane Houlihan, senior vice president for research at the Environmental Working Group. "Peaches top the list of fruits and vegetables most likely to contain pesticide residue because they require a lot of pesticides to grow." The rest of the dirty dozen are apples., bell peppers, celery, cherries, nectarines, strawberries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots and pears. All produce is covered in chemicals, bacteria, soil, mold, possibly insect parts and more. "A quick rinse on produce is never enough," stated allergist Dr. Steven Nickels. "Since many of the pesticides are sprayed on with waxy substances, removing them is tough. You may not get it all off, but you can reduce it." Nickels recommended several processes for cleansing produce. SCRUB: Dampen the produce. Shake baking soda on it and rub all surfaces by hand. Rinse well. SOAK: Mix a 50/50 solution of water and white distilled vinegar. Let the produce soak for 5-10 minutes. Rinse well. (Never soak mushrooms since they absorb water). SPRAY: Mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 cup water and 2 tablespoons baking soda in a spray bottle. Shake well, spray on produce and let sit a few minutes. Rinse well. WASH: Consumer Reports suggests scrubbing the produce with a drop of Palmolive dish detergent and then rinsing well. Do not wash produce before storing it; this accelerates rot. Wash food before eating or cooking. Comment on this story at wsusignpost. com. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION 8V MIKI ETO I THF SICNrOS! from page •! involved. The quickened heartbeat can last long after the initial effects of the energy drink. "My sister recently found out that she has heart problems that could be genetic," Semborski said. "The doctors recommend that she avoid drinks with high levels of caffeine, so I'm trying to do the same." For individuals with preexisting heart conditions or a family history of heart problems, these effects can become dangerous. Several cases have been reported of people dying after drinking energy drinks and exercising heavily, although there is no proof that the drinks were the primary cause. "As far as I know, no one in my family has had heart problems," said Travis Pope, a WSU junior, "so I'm not very concerned about having many serious side effects from energy drinks." Individuals planning on consuming high levels of caffeine should find out if there are any heart problems in their family history. Also, those planning on working out with any caffeine intake should monitor their heart rate during their workout. "With school, cheer and work, I usually need an energy drink before practice," Ellis said, "but I try to drink a lot of water as well." Energy drinks can cause high levels of dehydration, which the individual will not recognize until after the drink wears off. In working out, the individual will burn off the extra energy while sweating, causing higher levels of dehydration. In extreme cases the dehydration can be fatal. "I have either an energy drink or coffee every morning to help me wake up," Pope said. "I should probably drink more water." Students looking for an easy energy source should start looking for one with less health risks. Students who must have that energy drink should at least make sure to undergo proper health procedures and know what they are at high risk for Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com. Gum continued from page ! Besides life-threatening complications arising from gum inhalation, there are other reported cases of death caused by gum. ABC News international journalist Alexander Marquardt reported from Moscow in December 2009 of a 25-year-old Ukrainian man who was killed when his chewing gum exploded, removing most of his lower face. The Kiev Polytechnic Institute student was identified in the report only by his first name Vladimir. The parents of the deceased said their son liked to dip sticks of gum into citric acid. Vladimir was reportedly working on his home computer on a Saturday Lexus who choked to death night in the town of on a wad of chewing gum. Konotop when his mother On arrival, the emergency heard the sound of the crew assessed that the explosion. She turned Lexus caused the accident around to find Vladimir due to intoxication and lying in his own blood left the driver to save and the dismembered jaw those trapped in the other nearby. car. When they returned Nothing could be to the Lexus the man done to save Vladimir was not breathing and when emergency services after being rushed to an arrived. The forensics lab emergency room, doctors couldn't identify the exact couldn't insert a breathing explosive chemical found tube. Upon examination within the laced gum. physicians found a piece When Sumy police officials of chewing gum blocking found an unidentified the man's trachea. Shortly substance and citric acid after, the man was near Vladimir's body, they pronounced dead from believed he may have gum asphyxiation. confused the two. In 2007, Shanghai Daily Comment on this story a. reported a gum fatality wsusignpost. com involving a driver of a continued from page 4 Reach Your Potential A promotion. A pay raise. A career shift... You know what you want. A master's degree can help you get it. Reach your potential by earning a master's degree from Weber State University. Visit us at The Weber State Graduate Fair for breakfast, and then chasing it down with a liter of some fluorescent, quaintly misspelled, vaguely fruit-flavored dehydrated beverage, like Frostee-Ade. No. These days, our children are being fed hummus and whole-grain pita chips, skim milk (my grandpa just swore in his grave) and soy burgers. And instead of going to the rusty, razorsharp playground and sliding down the sun-hot, graffiti-tattooed slides onto a pile of discarded drug paraphernalia, or falling eight-plus feet from monkey bars onto weapons-grade wood chips, todays children are merely e-falling onto e-wood chips. Occasionally, they might e-scrape their e-knees, but that's only if they click on certain pop-up ads. I can remember one experience from my childhood, in which I was running around a shed in our backyard and came too close to a jagged piece of rusty metal that was stacked in a junk pile. It sliced a hole through my jeans and cut a large chunk of me out of my thigh, replacing it with rust and dirt. I ran in a panic to my room and shut the door, then sat down to examine the damage. Blood was everywhere, and I probably should have asked for a tetanus shot, or even had the wound checked for any remaining debris. But my only thought was, "Oh, no. I ruined another, pair of jeans. Mom is going to KILL ME." I put on a new pair, liberally shoved half a box of tissues down my pants leg to staunch the bleeding, then balled up my old bloodstained jeans and hid them in the bottom of a convenience store dumpster a block away. Anyway, I have to stop typing. Don't want to get carpal tunnel, you know. Comment on this story at Weber State University Shepherd Union Atrium Wednesday, March 31, 2010 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where you'll learn more about these programs. Master of Accounting Master of Athletic Training Master of Business Administration (MBA) Master of Criminal Justice Master of Education Master of English Master of Health Administration Master of Nursing Master of Radiologic Sciences WEBER SmE UMVERSTIY Starting at EWIS EWE LE R S D-5. Onion. UT 64015 (801} 773-6558 wsusignpost.com. |